motorcycle taxi.

This morning was very chill because we had to be out of our hostel and catch a bus by 11. We sat on the rooftop of the hostel overlooking the Li River and then had some pancakes and fruit for breakfast. I love the fresh fruit here!!!!

We made it to the first bus station and nobody spoke English so it was a pain in the butt trying to figure out our next bus situation. Finally, we called Mr. Li and he had to talk to some lady and translate for us. He only told us that we had to figure out a way to get to the other train station on the other side of town.

Lo and behold there were a bunch of motorcycle taxis lined up next to us. Abi was wanting to take one of those because she says they are so fun and jumped on one. Some of the girls were skeptical at first and I didn't care because it looked fun to me!! 

It seriously was one of the funnest things ever!!! I was the only one on my motorcycle and we were zipping in and out of traffic. I felt more safe on that thing, than I do when we are riding in cars going through everything! Don't ask me why though. My phone was shoved under some bags that I was holding for other girls so I wasn't able to film anything. The other girls were getting pics left and right so I was able to get some of me on it. Best way to travel through China for sure!!

loves.

sleeper train.

After a crazy ride on the motorcycle taxis we made it to a nasty bus that made me car sick. Chinese people are crazy drivers anyways, but the roads are even worse! We made it to the train station and had a few hours to kill.

One of the coolest things was riding in a sleeper train! I always feel like a little kid while having these experiences. It's a normal train car, but filled with beds! There are 6 in an "aisle," stacked 3 high. So I was on the middle one, and they are not made to sit in. Only lay. Once we got onto the train we got all settled in and went to bed decently early because we were so tired from traveling.

I cannot live in China. Mainly because I'm too tall!! My feet were hanging off the bed on the train. So annoying! I did sleep like a baby though because I was drugged for this stupid cold/allergies I have, so no complaining there! 

loves.

motorcycle taxi.

This morning was very chill because we had to be out of our hostel and catch a bus by 11. We sat on the rooftop of the hostel overlooking the Li River and then had some pancakes and fruit for breakfast. I love the fresh fruit here!!!!

We made it to the first bus station and nobody spoke English so it was a pain in the butt trying to figure out our next bus situation. Finally, we called Mr. Li and he had to talk to some lady and translate for us. He only told us that we had to figure out a way to get to the other train station on the other side of town.

Lo and behold there were a bunch of motorcycle taxis lined up next to us. Abi was wanting to take one of those because she says they are so fun and jumped on one. Some of the girls were skeptical at first and I didn't care because it looked fun to me!! 

It seriously was one of the funnest things ever!!! I was the only one on my motorcycle and we were zipping in and out of traffic. I felt more safe on that thing, than I do when we are riding in cars going through everything! Don't ask me why though. My phone was shoved under some bags that I was holding for other girls so I wasn't able to film anything. The other girls were getting pics left and right so I was able to get some of me on it. Best way to travel through China for sure!!

sun rises and river runs.

Today honestly was unbelievable in so many ways!! I'll just have to start from the very beginning at 5:30 this morning to make sure I don't forget anything.

When my alarm went off at the butt crack of dawn I was tempted to tell them to just leave me and let me sleep in. So glad I didn't!! We left and it was pitch black outside. We only had directions that were written down and half of it was in Mandarin, so we were hoping to make it to the top for sunrise at 6:30. Holy poop it was so hard! Probably one of the hardest hikes I've ever done. And well worth it. 

You had to hike up these awkward stone stairs that were completely falling apart! They would wind up the mountain and I was waiting for one of them to break and fall. One of our girls wasn't feeling too hot so she told us to leave her behind. After about 40 minutes of a straight up hike we made it to the top! And it was GORGEOUS!!!! There were a bunch of Asian men taking photographs by the time we got there close to 6:30. Clearly they had been there a while before us!

You better believe I took a lot of pictures while up there! I was always have that view ingrained in my mind. Absolutely breathtaking. Either side you'd look down you could see the villages and people getting ready for the day by taking their boats out. The entire hike up there was this silence that I loved! I didn't feel like I was going to die like I have on some other hikes. It was well worth having no sleep and waking up at the butt crack of dawn. Also, it's kind of disgusting how much I sweat here, but who cares! I'll never see these people again haha I am in love with this place.

After our hike we came back down and went right to rafting down the Li River. Once again, breathtaking. We took a golf cart down to the river and these little old ladies were selling these flower headbands. Of course I had to buy one! They were so cute and made pictures even better. Haha We walked down to the water and 4 of us climbed onto each raft. It was only a 40 minute trip but, holy crap! These mountains are some if the coolest things I've ever seen. The way they rise and fall. All morning the sun was hidden behind some smog, and the mountains all looked shadowy. 

This place really is amazing! I would love to be able to come back someday. After floating the river and walked around and looked at the cute little shops they had everywhere. It's so funny when the old people want you to buy something from them. You almost can't say no just because they are so little and adorable!!

Today was a jam packed day! After this crazy morning we ate some brunch and hung out for maybe an hour. Then off again!! This time we went for a hike to a nunnery. Buuuuut there was no nunnery to be seen. We followed the directions exactly as they were, and ended up hiking FOREVER! It was cool because we went farther and farther; higher and higher up but all we could find were hidden villages, and orchards for miles. 

Tonight has been a lot more chill, thank the heavens! We got some dinner and ice cream, showered, relaxed, watched Up at the hostel, and bought some pizza at the hostel. It was baked in one of those fire oven things and it's probably some of my favorite pizza! You would never think you could find that good of pizza in China. 

Today was crazy full of adventures and I am pooped! So far it has been my favorite day in China. I wish my family and friends could be here with me to experience this!! Especially today I learned a lot of patience:) The rest of this weekend should be just as fun hopefully! I'm excited for more to come.

loves.

nicholas.

So this isn't about China, but I just need to let you all know! My little brother, Nick, he's my best friend. When we were little we would fight all the time and never really got along. We had a typical sibling relationship! 

As we got older we started getting closer. When I moved away to college we got a lot closer. Not sure why it wasn't until I moved out, but that's just how it was. When I would come home from Logan we would hang out and had fun! We would talk more and I'd be giving him girl advice because he was just in his first year of high school.

The years went on and we became closer and closer. His senior year was coming up and I had decided to move home for a bit to save money. As badly as I wanted to be in Logan, I knew I had to move home for more than just saving money.

It truly was a blessing in disguise. The mission age had changed, and he quickly decided he wanted to graduate early so he could get out on his mission. I kept telling him he was crazy!! Of course he wouldn't listen. I was able to make it to the majority of his games, even travel to Florida with the team.

That year he won Mr. Basketball, his team won the state AND national championships; it was the perfect time to be in Alpine with all that happening. We became closer. We would hang out and have late night chats. I would call him one of my best friends.

A month later he left for his mission. I was SO proud and excited for his new adventure in life. I knew he would grow so much spiritually. And he did.

Through that year and a half he was gone I wrote him every single week (Okay I probably missed like, one week). But he helped me see things more clearly and was always so upbeat about everything. If he was ever feeling down, he always would find the positive in any situation.

The night my parents told us kids that Nick would possibly be coming home from his mission was crazy. I was scared because of the circumstances, but also super happy to be able to see him. Especially before I left for China. It was a hard decision for him to make, and it knew the situation was serious if he was coming home from Germany. He loves that place and the people more than anything!!

He came home, we went to St. George as a family, then he had his surgery. It all happened so fast. For the two days he was in the hospital I hung out with him the entire time. Hospitals aren't the greatest places ever, but we had a lot of fun and bonded more.

In the last year and a half I have gotten a lot closer with my little brother and look up to him in so many ways! He honestly is a saint. He can go through any trial and have the biggest smile in the end. One of the first things he told me right off the plane was, "Annie, God is good." And it's true!! 

He really can make a difference in anyone's life, in any situation. He is someone that I will always be able to look up to for years to come. I am so proud of Nick and his choice of going back to Germany. I bawled my eyes out like a baby this morning when I had to say goodbye over FaceTime. He will only be gone for 6 more months and I am excited for what will happen to him in his last few months there.

I love you Nick and I will see you soon.

loves.

successful day.

Okay I've only been in Yangshuo for less than 24 hours and I'm in LOVE!! This place seriously is so gorgeous. I wish everyone could see what I witnessed today because it was amazing!!

After we arrived at our hostel we decided to just hang out for a little before adventuring out. That freakin sleeper bus took it out of me! We then decided to go on a little bike ride. Holy poop!!! I'm telling you, the scenery is amazing! The mountains are some of the coolest things I have ever seen! We didn't get back until 4 hours later and it was the best. I spent $3 to ride a bike for an entire day. This is why I love China so much! 

During our little/long ride we basically went off-roading and ventured super far out. Just me, Emily, Abi and Hannah. We 4 always stick together and always have the best time. We ended up trying to help these people with their car that went off the road and they wound up with a flat tire. We biked through a family or neighborhood party thingy. We saw so much today I still can't even comprehend it. The highlight of my day was when Abi practically killed herself twice. The first time being saved my some fruit tree after falling off her bike, and the second was when we were walking and she ate it HARD. And no I am not a bad friend! She was laughing hysterically too so it made it that much better:)

I haven't been here long, and this is already by far my favorite place in China. After riding bikes for a million kilometers we walked up and down the streets here. I love the atmosphere with all the cute little shops and people sitting outside selling their fresh garden vegetables. I wish we had these in the states! After walking for a long time we found cute little puppies and I think this old lady was pissed that they came out to play with us. Meh, oh well!!

Sooo you know those places that have little fish swimming around and they eat the dead skin off of your feet?! You better believe we tried that! It is the weirdest feeling ever and I almost died from laughing! I am so ticklish it's not even funny! When you looked closely it looked like the fish were just kissing my feet. GAH so cool!!! 

Wanna know what my new favorite thing to eat is? Cooked tomatoes, eggs, and rice. They serve it at the school but we found this cute little restaurant that also serves it!!! It was to die for! Abi got the same thing but she chose the homemade noodles instead. Which, by the way, the cut and cook right in front of you. I'm telling all of you, go cook some tomatoes, make scrambled eggs, and some white rice. It really is delicious!

The weather here isn't as hot and humid as Quenzhou so we love being outside even more! We walked around sooo much today and went to every little shop. I bought some super sweet things, but I'll have to post a picture of them sometime soon so you can see. 

Today really was such a good day!! We were constantly going and I now feel pooped. I was ready for bed at like 7. Haha I'm even more excited for tomorrow and what's to come!

loves.

drag racing and a sleeper bus

Today has already been an adventure and it's only 2 p.m. Mr. Li told us a taxi was going to pick us up right at 10 o'clock sharp so we could catch our sleeper bus at 11. Well, we got outside and there was no taxi. We called Mr. Li and he said that we had to wait until 12 to catch the bus at 12:30.

We decided to all go inside and watch a movie, go to lunch, then meet the taxi driver. At about 11:15 Mr. Li calls saying the taxi driver is there so we had to go outside NOW. (It sucks trying to figure things out when people speak little or no English). 

Emily and I went to our apartment to grab our stuff and come walking outside to a very small car. Were they thinking they could shove all 8 of us in it?! We both started dying of laughter because it had to be a joke. Out of nowhere a small truck comes whipping around the corner, so we were laughing even harder We split up and crawled into the two small cars. I was in the truck with Hannah, Emily and Kelli. He was flying down the hill and we thought we were gonna die in the first 2 minutes. He pulled up to the school and told us to get into another car instead of the piece of crap truck.

What do you know, we are flying down the road!! We were going about 60 mph on a 35 mph road. I almost peed my pants from laughing so hard. We were all flying around! Wearing our seatbelts of course. We made it to a main road that I'm pretty sure you are only supposed to go like 60 mph. Nope, our driver chose to go 95 instead. Chinese people literally are the craziest drivers ever!! They don't use blinkers, and just honk at everyone to get out of the way. I felt like we were racing because he was weaving in and out of cars like it was nobody's business.

Five minutes later we made it to the bus stop. Okay maybe 20 minutes but it felt like 5. After waiting for 15 minutes this huge bus comes rolling up. They are shoving us on the bus, as they're yelling at us to take our shoes off! This bus is crazy cool! No seats, just beds everywhere! We all are on top bunks and people were taking pictures when we got on. I'm guessing it's entertaining for them to watch us look so stupid and confused.

After a few hours we finally made our first stop. Everybody and their dog needed to freaking smoke. And of course I had to pee with no bathroom around. We had to show our bus driver our Mandarin translation to find the toilet. Remember though that they don't have real bathrooms here. Stupid squatters that are nasty. And smell really bad. 

It took us a grand total of 16 hours to get here! I wanted to die. The beds weren't long enough for me to lay normally in so it was just awkward! I took some NyQuil to help me sleep because I have this stinkin cold, but nope. Didn't work very well! I was in and out of it alllll night and it was no bueno. I woke up at about 3 and the bus was parked at a gas station. I thought to myself that we stopped for gas. Nope. 3 hours we were there! I guess the bus driver wanted to take a little nap. 

I was so out of it while driving in Yangshuo but this place is gorgeous!! The mountains are so cool looking!

Today we are going on some kind of adventure so I'm looking forward to that.

loves.